2017 Christmas Bird Count Results

The 47th consecutive (and 64th overall) Moscow-Pullman Christmas Bird Count was 16 December 2017. We traded in last year’s frigid temperatures for fog and 6 inches of fresh snow that fell the night before the count. All still water was mostly frozen and only minimal amounts of moving water were open. We had 47 participants (4 shy of our all-time high; 35 as part of 17 field teams and 12 watching feeders) who spent almost 54 hours driving 412 miles, 47 hours walking 41.5 miles, and almost 20 hours watching feeders. We tallied 65 species, a bit off our 10-y average of 68.

Many field teams reported reduced numbers of birds and it being a “slow” day and our numbers supported that conclusion. We counted 9673 birds, well-below last year’s all-time record of 15816 and well-below our 10-year average of 12250.

Some other tidbits: (1) We have now tallied EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES for 11 years (they were first reported 2007). After dropping precipitously last year, the number of EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES jumped upward this year, due in part to the 162 birds counted at the UI Dairy Barns, nearly 30% of all reported. Even so, our MOURNING DOVE numbers were slightly above the 15-year average of 221. (2) We tallied a combined total of 24 SHARP-SHINNED and COPPER’S HAWKS this year; more than usual. In the 11 years prior to Eurasian Collared-Doves, our overall average for these two species was 4. For the 11 years that we have had this introduced species, the overall average has climbed to 8. Could it be these accipiters like Eurasian Collared-Doves? (3) Our good numbers of COMMON REDPOLLS were the best in almost two decades.

Thanks to everyone who participated! See you next year on December 15th!